Articles Posted inOrders of Non Disclosure

On June 15, 2017 the Governor signed a bill into law that will significantly change eligibility for “Orders of Non Disclosure,” to allow people who have been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated to obtain such an Order. An “Order of Non Disclosure” is a Court Order to any agency in possession of your criminal history record information to seal the record and not disclose it to third parties. In other words, an Order of Non Disclosure allows one to shield the fact of their case from public view and scrutiny. An Order of Non Disclosure prevents the general public from viewing your criminal history. This is helpful in a number of ways, for example an Order of Non Disclosure would prevent prospective employers from viewing your record. This would also apply to apartment complexes that are considering renting you an apartment, etc. The are exceptions to the Non Disclosure order in terms of who may access the record, but it is a fantastic tool to prevent the general public from ever knowing that you have a previous criminal case.

Until now, people convicted of Driving While Intoxicated in Collin County, Texas (or anywhere in Texas for that matter) were prohibited by law from obtaining a Non Disclosure Order. That is about to change. Effective September 1, 2017 people convicted of Driving While Intoxicated will be able to obtain an Order of Non Disclosure even if convicted of DWI. The following conditions must be met in order to qualify.

The Driving While Intoxicated Conviction you seek to Nondisclose must be a first offense.

In the practice of law, I am asked questions on Expunctions and Non Disclosures on an almost daily basis. Many people are confused by the two. An Expunction Order and an Order of Non Disclosure are two very different legal remedies, with different eligibility requirements.

Though this article cannot be a comprehensive legal guide, I want to explain the basic differences between Expunctions and Non Disclsoure.